NEARLY 1,500 people have signed a petition calling for residents in north Hampshire to be able to continue using a tip for free, rather than face up to a 40-mile roundtrip to dump their waste.

From August 1 residents in north Hampshire will no longer be able to use the Newbury Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) free of charge.

Residents across the region have been able to use the tip in West Berkshire for free, under a deal between Hampshire County Council (HCC) and West Berkshire Council (WBC) – as many live closer to the Newton Road Household Waste Recycling Centre than any site in Hampshire.

However, now HCC’s deputy leader has approved plans to terminate the agreement, meaning residents will be forced from next month to fork out to use the tip or travel further to sites in Andover or Basingstoke.

Since 2017, HCC has paid £175,000 per year to WBC to allow free access to the Newbury HWRC for some 5,000 households in north Hampshire.

Sally Fenwick, who started the petition to HCC, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) and WBC, urged HCC to reverse its decision and work with BDBC to find a solution.

She said the decision could see nearly 5,000 of the borough’s residents “face travelling miles to take their waste and recycling to a tip”.

She added: “BDBC has strongly objected to the proposed cut in funding since it was put forward and has appealed to both authorities to find a solution that meets the needs of residents close to the border and doesn’t impact on the environment.

“North Hampshire is very badly served by HCC in relation to HWRC facilities, compared to the rest of the county, needing to travel further than any other Hampshire resident to reach and HCC HWRC and this is a problem that has not been resolved.”

She pointed out HCC declaring a Climate Emergency in June last year, and its promise to take a join-up approach to tackling climate change.

“How is forcing over 5,000 residents to undertake a 30 to 40-mile round trip (or more if several visits are needed) to recycle waste, a joined-up approach or going to contribute to your climate change targets of carbon neutrality by 2050?” asked Sally, adding: “The closure of the local waste and recycling centre during lockdown and the subsequent increase in fly-tipping, is surely an indication that this denial of access will lead to further illegal and hazardous disposal of waste and a financial burden to remove it.

“Can we please return to the common sense approach reached by West Berkshire and Hampshire County Councils, and provide access to a recycling centre close to where north Hants residents live rather than necessitating up to a 40-mile drive.”

Councillor Rob Humby, HCC’s executive member for economy, transport and environment, said the charge per household to use the Newbury tip was “too expensive”, and was being subsidised by the rest of the county.

He said: “The cost of dealing with household waste and running our HWRC network is significant, and we need to look carefully at all our costs to ensure value for money for all of Hampshire’s council taxpayers.”

To sign the petition visit https://www.change.org/p/hampshire-county-council-keep-newbury-household-waste-recycling-centre-open-to-north-hampshire-residents.